Mushroom Diversity of Chitarpur Coal-Mine Area of Latehar District in Jharkhand State, India

Abstract

<p>Mushroom is the fleshy, spore bearing fruiting body of fungus commonly used as food. In highly populated country like India, natural<br />food resources like edible mushrooms are depleting day by day and there is possibility of extinction of many mushroom species in near<br />future. Therefore a comprehensive study is necessary for data base conservation strategy and nutritional value evaluation of these wild<br />edible fungi. The present study encompasses survey, collection, identification and ethno-mycological information of edibility and<br />assessment of the nutritional value of mushrooms growing in Chitarpur area located in Latehar district of Jharkhnd state embellished with<br />wide diversified mushrooms. A total of 70 number of species were documented by denoting their morphological identifying characters,<br />fruiting bodies and their spores. These species come under 26 families and 45 genera; out of which 28 were lignophilous, 4 coprophilous,<br />32 chersophilous and 6 pedophilous mushrooms. Of these 15 were found to be edible while 38 were non-edible and 17 unknown as regards<br />to the nature of their edibility. As regards to important families, Agaricaceae and Polyporaceae were the largest family represented by 10<br />species each followed by, Russulaceae with 5 and Marasmiaceae with 4 species. Among the prominent genera Agaricus, Lepiota,<br />Leucocoprinus, Marasmius, Mycena and Lactarius Amanita muscuaria Amanita were found to be dominant. and multisquamosa were the<br />two most poisonous species of mushrooms surveyed in the study site.<br />Key words: Mushroom, Diversity, Chitarpur, Latehar district, Jharkhand, India</p><p> </p><p><a id="pub-id::doi" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.21756/cba.v1i1.11015">http://dx.doi.org/10.21756/cba.v1i1.11015</a></p>